The latest word is that Barack Obama pretty much crushed Hilary by about 55% to 27%. Yes, folks, that's a two to one margin, when polls had them either statistically tied or with Clinton winning during the last few days, after Idaho and New Hampshire (where she won by skin-of-the-teeth margins). Edwards, who has been so thoroughly blacklisted by the national media that CNN doesn't even mention him in articles about debates, had about 18%.
The other amazing thing is there was a total voter turnout of more than twice that of 2004. As someone who thinks everyone who can vote should vote, that makes me very happy.
The big bit of irony is that what seems to be playing out is that the voters are recognizing the truth of something Bill said in 1992-- that you can have "the right kind of experience and the wrong kind of experience." The overall issue of this election is change, and how we cannot keep doing things the way we have done them before. People are finally realizing the truth in that, and when they look at Barack or Edwards or Kucinich they see change. When they look at Hilary, they see a carpetbagging senator, an ex-first lady, and a Washington insider-- none of these are things to incur any belief in that person's ability or willingness to change the system of which they are part. Running on a bogus claim of experience-- and it IS bogus-- makes you an insider, and that's a losing proposition this year.
Hilary is running an ad here in which she tries to cast herself as a populist, blasting the oil companies, drug companies, the insurance industry, and so on. I would like to point out that Hilary has had major ties to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries since Bill put her in charge of his healthcare policy in the early 90s, and they pretty much paid for her election to the Senate as a representative of a state where she hadn't lived in over twenty years. Is she really going to bite the hand that feeds her?
Check Opensecrets.org for some campaign finance info, since we might as well know who's paying for what these days....
I think Hilary is in serious trouble; she mobilized Bill to do most of the heavy campaigning for her, and the overall tone of most of her message has gotten a bit sharp-edged. Her campaign has been fighting dirty for months now-- dredging up Obama's past drug use, etc., making use of it, and then firing the staff who made the noise while claiming Hilary knew nothing about it. She's either lying or she can't even control her own campaign. Neither of those is at all a good thing. We have had so much of behavior like this from Bush and his people in the last ten years that I just cannot stomach it anymore.
So, the bottom line is that I am firmly convinced that this country needs major change in its leadership. It is my opinion the Barack Obama would be a good candidate in any election, but that in this particular year, he is the best of those on the Democratic side. I like John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich too; I have great respect for both of them, their messages, and their ideals, and were they in Barack's place I'd just as gladly support them.
For those about to Barack.... we salute you.
Oh, by the way-- no I do not work for or otherwise have anything to do with anyone's campaign. This message was not approved by anyone other than myself. I'm just an opinionated bastard who likes making up his mind.
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